Support assembly for a concrete mixer chute



Nov. 12, 1968 M. 1.. POTTER SUPPORT ASSEMBLY FOR A CONCRETE MI XER CHUTE Filed April 20, 1967 l i Avwswrae 6 Maw/v A. Pow-1? United States Patent 3,410,538 SUPPORT ASSEMBLY FOR A CONCRETE MIXER CHUTE Melvin L. Potter, Cedar Falls, Iowa, assignor to Construction Machinery Company, Waterloo, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Filed Apr. 20, 1967, Ser. No. 632,378 8 Claims. (Cl. 259172) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The support assembly for a concrete mixer chute comprising, a support means rotatably secured to the concrete mixer below the mixing drum discharge opening, the upper end of the mixer discharge chute being pivotally connected to the support means at the upper end thereof, the chute being pivotally connected intermediate its length to said support means at the lower end thereof and means for selectively locking the support means in various positions of its rotatable movement to permit the locking of the discharge chute in various unloading positions.

Conventional concrete truck mixers have a discharge chute pivotally connected to the rearward end of the mixing truck to permit the concrete to be discharged some several feet away from the mixer. It is presently necessary for a workman to grasp the discharge chute during the discharge of the concrete therefrom so that the chute will remain in its desired unloading position. Obviously, the necessity of the attendance of a workman to position the discharge chute is an inefficient operation.

Therefrom, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a support assembly for a concrete mixing chute.

A further object of this invention is to provide a support assembly for a concrete mixer chute having means thereon to selectively lock the discharge chute in various unloading positions.

A further object of this invention is to provide a support assembly for a concrete mixer chute and means for locking the same in various positions with respect to the mixing truck, the locking and unlocking of the discharge chute being accomplished by an actuating lever which is conveniently positioned and operated.

A further object of this invention is to provide a rotatable support assembly for a concrete mixing chute and a means for selectively locking the support assembly in various positions of its rotatable movement.

A further object of this invention is to provide a support assembly for a concrete mixer chute which is durable in use, convenient to operate and economical of manufacture.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

This invention consists in the construction, arrangements, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a concrete mixing truck and the support means for the concrete mixing chute;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top view illustrating the various positions to which the discharge chute is movable;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the support assembly for the concrete mixer chute with portions thereof being cut away to more fully illustrate the invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view as would be seen on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view as would be seen on line 55 of FIG. 4;

3,410,538 Patented Nov. 12, 1968 ice FIG. 6 is a sectional view as would be seen on line 6-6 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cam plate.

The numeral 10 generally designates a concrete mixer truck having a rearward end 11 and a forward end 13. A mixing drum 15 is rotatably mounted on truck 10 at the rearward end thereof and includes a discharge end 17 at the upper rearward end thereof. A collecting hopper 19 is provided on the truck 10 at a point below discharge end 17 and is adapted to receive the concrete being discharged from the discharge end 17 of drum 15.

Truck 10 is provided with a pair of spaced apart channel members 21 and 23 which are secured thereto by any convenient means such as welding or the like at the rearward end of the truck 10 as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. The numeral 25 designates a supporting plate 25 which is secured to channel member 21 by welding or the like and extends rearwardly therefrom. As seen in FIG. 3, the numeral 27 designates a mounting bracket which is secured to channel member 23. A top shield 29 is secured to support plate 25 and extends rearwardly therefrom and has a plate 31 secured thereto at its rearward end by welding or the like. A bottom shield 33 is secured to bracket 27 and extends rearwardly therefrom as best illustrated in FIG. 3. A plate 35 is secured to the rearward end of bottom shield 33 by welding or the like and extends rearwardly therefrom as best illustrated in FIG. 3 so that it is positioned below plate 31. Side shields 37 and 39 are secured to shields 29 and 33 at the opposite sides thereof respectively and extend therebetween as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5. A front shield 41 is secured to the forward ends of side shields 37 and 39 and extends therebetween as best illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5. Side shield 37 is provided with a removable cover 43 secured thereto to permit access to the interior of the shield 45 which is formed by shields 29, 33, 37, 39 and 41.

The numeral 47 generally designates a pivot tube assembly which is rotatably mounted in and extends through plates 31 and 35. A plate 49 is rotatably mounted on the upper surface of plate 31 and has a pair of spaced apart supports 51 and 53secured thereto and extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom. A rod 55 is secured to the upper end of supports 51 and 53 as best illustrated in FIG. 3 and is adapted to be pivotally secured to the upper end of discharge chute 57,'t'he upper end of which is positioned below collecting hopper 19. A pair of shields 63 are secured to the opposite sides of supports 51 and 53 and extend therebetween to enclose the space between supports 51 and 53 to prevent concrete and other material from lodging therein. As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, plate 49 is provided with a plurality of openings 65 formed therein which extend upwardly into the bottom surface thereof and along the periphery of plate 49. Plate 31 is provided with an opening 67 formed therein which is adapted to selectively register with each of the openings 65. A tube 69 is secured to plate 49 and extends downwardly therefrom through plates .31 and .35 and has a threaded portion 71 extending from the lower end thereof. As seen in FIG. 3, tube 69 also extends upwardly through plate 49 and has its upper end welded to the inside surface of support 51.

A collar 73 embraces tube 69 and is Welded to the bottom surface of plate 31. Collar 73 is provided with a grease fitting 75 which extends therefrom partially through opening 77 in front shield 41. A collar 79 I0- tatably embraces tube 69 above plate 35 and is welded to plate 35. Collar 79 is provided with a grease fitting 81 which is secured thereto and which partially extends through opening 83 in front shield 41. Each of the collars 73 and 79 are provided with suitable O-rings therein to prevent the grease from escaping therefrom.

A collar embraces tube 69 below plate '35 and is rigidly secured to tube 69 by means of a set screw 87 extending through collar 85 and engaging the exterior surface of tube 69. Collar 85 therefore limits the upward movement of tube 69 with respect to plate 35. A ring bracket 89 rotatably embraces tube 69 below collar 85 and is adapted to pivotally receive one end of a discharge chute lift 91. The other end of chute lift 91 is pivotally connected to discharge chute 57 as illustrated in FIG. 1. Chute lift 91 may either be of the mechanical or hydraulic type and is designed to raise or lower the lower end of the discharge chute.

An actuating lever 93 rotatably extends upwardly through plate 35 and has its upper end adapted to be received in opening 67 and one of the openings 65. A collar 95 is secured to lever 93 below plate 35 by means of a set screw 97. A stop means 99 is secured to actuating lever 93 at a point above plate 35 by any convenient means and has a washer element 101 positioned therebelow. A spring means 103 embraces lever 93 between washer 101 and plate 35 to yieldably resist the downward movement of the vertical portion 105 of lever 93. A collar 107 is secured to vertical portion 105 of lever 93 by means of a set screw 109 at a point below plate 31 and has an internally threaded cylinder member 111 secured thereto and extending horizontally therefrom. A bolt means 113 is adjustably threadably secured to cylinder 111 and has a cam roller 115 rotatably mounted on the outer end thereof. A lock nut 117 is threadably mounted on bolt member 113 and may be used to lock bolt 113 with respect to cylinder 113. An arcuate cam plate 119 is secured to a bracket 121 which is secured to plate 31 and top shield 29. As seen in FIG. 5, cam plate 119 is curved along its length. As seen in FIG. 7, cam plate 117 is provided with a central notch 121 and notches 123 and 125 positioned at opposite sides thereof. Notches 123 and 125 are more shallow than notch 121 and cam roller 115 will engage one of the notches 121, 123 and 125. As seen in FIG. 7, a shoulder portion 127 is formed between notches 121 and 123 so that cam roller 115 will not inadvertently move out of engagement with notch 123 when positioned therein. Likewise, a shoulder 129 is formed in cam plate 119 between notch 125 and notch 123.

The normal method of operation is as follows: Actuating lever 93 is normally positioned so that cam roller 115 is in engagement with either of the notches 123 or 125 which thereby causes the upper end of vertical portion 105 of lever 93 to be withdrawn from one of the openings 65 in plate 49. Thus, when cam roller 115 is positioned in either of the notches 123 or 125, the discharge chute 57 may be freely rotated to position the outer end thereof in its desired unloading position. It can be appreciated that the tube 69 is freely rotatable with respect to the plates 31 and 35 and that chute 57 is supported thereby. When it is desired to lock the chute 57in position, it is simply necessary to move the handle portion 131 of lever 93 in a lateral manner thereby causing cam roller 115 to move out of engagement with either of the notches 123 or 125 and move into engagement with notch 121 which will cause the upper end of lever 93 to extend upwardly into one of the registering openings 65 in plate 49. Spring means 103 yieldably urges cam roller 115 into engagement with notch 121 and thereby prevents the upper end of lever 93 from moving out of engagement with the opening 65. Thus, by moving the actuating lever 93 to one side or the other, the upper end of the actuating lever is withdrawn from one of the openings 65, but as soon as the lever is per mitted to center on notch 21, the upper end of lever 93 will then seat the next locking opening 65. The position of the discharge chute can then be unlocked by moving the actuating lever in either direction, and this is extremely convenient for the truck operator. The chute locking means described herein describes a convenient method of selectively locking the discharge chute of a concrete truck mixer in various unloading positions. The operator does not have to manually maintain the chute 57 in a particular unloading position inasmuch as the actuating lever maintains the chute in the desired unloading position when the upper end of the actuating lever is in engagement with one of the openings 65.

Thus from the foregoing it can be seen that the device accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my Support Assembly for a Concrete Mixer Chute without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

..1. In a discharge chute support for concrete mixers having a mixing drum mounted on a frame means and a discharge means,

a support means operatively secured to said fram means,

a support member operatively rotatably secured to said support means and adapted to be secured to said discharge chute and to rotatably support the same with respect to said frame means,

and a locking means selectively locking said support member in various positions of its rotatable movement with respect to said support means,

said locking means including a detent means selectively 4 interconnecting said support means and support member, said detent means including a cam actuated locking pin means.

2. The support of claim 1 wherein said cam actuated 3 locking pin means is comprised of a locking pin which is connected to one of said support means and said support member and which is adapted to be received by the other of said support means and said support member at times, said locking pin having a cam roller rotatably secured thereto which is in engagement with a cam plate having at least two cam surfaces formed therein, said cam roller adapted to selectively engage said cam surfaces upon the rotation of said locking pin, said locking pin interconnecting said support means and said support member when said locking pin is rotated to cause said cam roller to engage one of said cam surfaces, said support member being freely rotatable with respect to said support means when said locking pin is rotated to cause said cam roller to engage the other of said cam surfaces.

.. 3.; The support of claim 1 wherein said cam plate includes a central locking cam surface and an unlocking carp surface at either side thereof, said locking pin including'a handle means which extends laterally therefrom adapted to cause the rotation of said locking pin at times.

4. In a discharge chute support for concrete mixers having a mixing drum mounted on a frame means and a discharge means,

a support means operatively secured to said frame means,

.a support member operatively rotatably secured to said support means and adapted to be secured to said discharge chute and to rotatably support the same with respect to said frame means,

and a locking means selectively locking said support member in various positions of its rotatable movement with respect to said support means,

said support means including first and second vertically spaced apart horizontal plates which are spaced outwardly of said frame means, said support member comprising a shaft rotatably mounted in and rotatably extending through said first and second plates, a third plate secured to the upper end of said shaft and rotatably engaging the upper surface of said first plate, an arm means secured to said third plate and extending upwardly therefrom, said chute being pivotally connected adjacent one end thereof to the upper end of said arm means, a length adjustable chute lift pivotally secured at one end to said chute intermediate its length and being rotatably secured at its other end to said shaft below said second plate, said locking means including a locking pin extending upwardly through said first plate and received by said third plate at times to selectively lock said shaft, third plate, arm means and chute in various positions of their rotatable movement with respect to said support means. 5. .The support of claim 4 wherein said third plate has a plurality of openings formed therein which selectively register with an opening formed in said first plate through which said locking pin slidably and rotatably extends, said locking pin having a spring means secured thereto adapted to yieldably urge said locking pin upwardly through said opening in said first plate.

6. The support of claim 5 wherein said locking pin has a vertical portion rotatably and slidably extending through and between said first and second plates, said IOCking pin having a handle portion extending laterally from said vertical portion at the lower end thereof, said vertical portion having a cam roller means rotatably secured thereto and being rotatable about a horizontal axis, an elongated cam plate curved along its length operatively secured to said first plate and having a cam surface adapted to receive said cam roller thereon, the engagement of said cam roller means and said cam surface causing said locking pin to selectively lock and unlock said support means and said support member with respect to each other upon the lateral movement of said handle portion.

7. The support of claim 6 wherein said cam plate is positioned above said cam roller means and has said cam surface formed in its lower end, said cam surface including at least first and second notches formed therein, said second notch being more shallow than said first notch whereby said locking pin will engage one of the openings in said third plate when said cam roller means engages said first notch, said locking pin being withdrawn from said openings in said third plate when said cam roller means engages said second notch.

8. The support of claim 7 wherein a third notch is formed in said cam surface, said first notch being positioned between said first and third notches, said third notch having a depth equal to said first notch.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,756,859 7/1956 Steffen 193-23 2,838,151 6/1958 Buchholz 193-6 3,279,766 10/1966 Mendoza 259-172 ROBERT W. JENKINS, Primary Examiner. 

